Flushing device

ABSTRACT

A flushing device for toilets having a float directly connected to the movable part of an inlet valve to form a unitary moving element. A siphon empties the flush tank and becomes inactive until a full tank is flushed again. When the float, which is slidably mounted in a chamber, is forced down for flushing, it forces water from the float chamber into the siphon either alone or with water from the inlet valve, to start a siphoning action to empty the flush tank. At the same time the float opens the inlet valve to supply additional water to start the siphon and to keep the valve open until the flush tank is refilled at which time the float has been raised to its normal position. Provisions are made for preventing a reverse flow from the tank into the inlet pipe during failure of the water supply and for filling the toilet bowl to the desired level at the end of the flushing operation. Provision is also made for conserving water by flushing a predetermined quantity of water for solids and considerably less water for liquids and by providing means for regulating the amount of water to be flushed by the flushing unit.

United States Patent [1 1 Roosa Nov. 20, 1973 FLUSHING DEVICE [22]Filed: Nov. 19, 1971 [21] Appl. No.: 200,342

Related US. Application Data [62] Division of Ser. No. 053,170, July 8,1970, Pat. No.

[52] US. Cl 137/217, 4/42, 4/44, 4/46, 137/432 [51] Int. Cl. F16k 45/00[58] Field of Search 137/217, 414, 429, 137/432; 4/42, 44, 46, 53, 56,41, 47, 52, 57, 58, 60, 67

[56] References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 1,625,311 4/1927 Gondolf4/44 1,984,394 12/1934 Candee.... 4/44 2,120,856 6/1938 Collison... 4/422,412,691 12/1946 Owens 4/44 2,444,959 7/1948 Smith 4/53 2,795,2376/1957 Corbin 4/56 X 3,115,153 12/1963 Delameter 137/432 X 3,554,219l/197l Hudson 137/414 Primary Examiner-Henry T. KlinksiekAttorney-Norman N. Holland [57 ABSTRACT A flushing device for toiletshaving a float directly connected to the movable part of an inlet valveto form a unitary moving element. A siphon empties the flush tank andbecomes inactive until a full tank is flushed again. When the float,which is slidably mounted in a chamber, is forced down for flushing, itforces water from the float chamber into the siphon either alone or withwater from the inlet valve, to start a siphoning action to empty theflush tank. At the same time the float opens the inlet valve to supplyadditional water to start the siphon and to keep the valve open untilthe flush tank is refilled at which time the float has been raised toits normal position. Provisions are made for preventing a reverse flowfrom the tank into the inlet pipe during failure of the water supply andfor filling the toilet bowl-to the desired level at the end of theflushing operation. Provision is also made for conserving water byflushing a predetermined quantity of water for solids and considerablyless water for liquids and by providing means for regulating the amountof water to be flushed by the flushing unit.

7 Claims, 15 Drawing Figures Patented Nov. 20, 1973 5 Sheets-Sheet 2-Patented Nov. 20, 1973 5 Sheets-Sheet :5

Patented Nov. 20, 1973 5 Sheots-$hoot Patented Nov. 20, 1973 5Sheets-Sheet 5 This is a division of application Ser. No. 053,170, filedJuly 8, 1970, now US. Pat. No. 3,644,940.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION The present invention relates to a flushingdevice and more particularly to a flushing device for use in tanks forflushing toilets.

Commercial flush tanks at the present time generally utilize one floatcontrolled valve for the inlet and a second float controlled valve forthe outlet. The outlet valve is much larger than the inlet valve inorder to discharge a large volume of water in a short time for flushingpurposes. Such large outlet valves are difficult to seat, are subject toexcessive wear and leakage, cause noise and waste water and necessitatefrequent repairs and replacements. The repair or replacement of thesevalves is expensive and troublesome, and usually requires the servicesof a skilled plumber. The inlet valve usually performs satisfactorilyfor long periods of time if the valve is seated quickly and with uniformpressure about its periphery.

Attempts have been made to avoid the use of the outlet valve by the useof a siphon but the results have not been satisfactory and siphons arenot in general use for flushing purposes.

The present invention is directed to an improved flushing device whichwill eliminate the outlet valve and which will improve the floatcontrolled operation of the inlet valve.

An object of the present invention is to provide an improved flushingdevice substantially free of valve and float problems.

Another object of the invention is to provide a flushing deviceutilizing a single valve.

Another object of the invention is to provide an improved floatoperation of the inlet valve.

Another object of the invention is to provide an improved siphoncombination for flushing purposes.

Another object of the invention is to provide improved means forinitiating the siphon action.

Another object of the invention is to provide a flushing unit which maybe readily molded in two parts from an inexpensive plastic material andwelded or bonded together to form a unitary structure for the inletconduit, the float chamber and the siphon.

Another object of the invention is to provide an inlet valve where waterpressure tends to hold it to its seat giving fast positive shutoff.

A further object is to conserve water in flushing operations byproviding a simple and convenient means for regulating the amount ofwater flushed which may be easily changed for each flushing operation.

Other and further objects of the invention will be obvious upon anunderstanding of the illustrative embodiment about to be described orwill be indicated in the appended claims, and various advantages notreferred to herein will occur to one skilled in the art upon employmentof the invention in practice.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS A preferred embodiment of theinvention has been chosen for purpose of illustration and descriptionand is shown in the accompanying drawings, forming a part of thespecification, wherein:

FIG. 1 is a vertical sectional view of a flush tank and a verticalcentral section of the flushing unit mounted in the tank illustratingthe construction and operation of the unit;

FIG. 2 is a fragmentary sectional view partially in elevationillustrating the trip handle for initiating the flushing operation andalso illustrating a simple means for regulating the amount of water tobe flushed for each flushing operation;

FIG. 3 is a perspective view of a molded part forming half of the inletconduit, float chamber and siphon and showing the hollow side of thepart;

FIG. 3a is an enlarged fragmentary perspective view showing a tin or ribon the edge of one of the two molded halves to facilitate welding;

FIG. 4 is a top plan view of the unit shown in FIG. 1;

FIG. 5 is a horizontal sectional view along the line 5-5 of FIG. 1slightly above the open end of the siphon;

FIG. 6 is a horizontal sectional view along the line 6-6 of FIG. 1intermediate theinlet valve and the bottom of the float chamber;

FIG. 7 is a horizontal view along the line 7-7 of FIG. 1 slightly abovethe bottom of thefloat chamber;

FIG. 8 is a vertical sectional view through a tank and centrally througha flushing unit illustrating another embodiment of the invention;

FIG. 9 is a perspective view of the part forming the bottom of the floatchamber shown in FIG. 8 with a discharge outlet under the open end ofthe siphon;

FIG. 10 is an enlarged fragmentary sectional view illustrating theattachment of the valve stem to the upper part of the float as shown inFIG. 8;

FIG. 11 is a vertical sectional view through another embodiment of theinvention illustrating the operation of the flushing unit;

FIG. 12 is a partial sectional view illustrating the operation of thefloat and the valve stem in the embodiment shown in FIG. 11;

FIG. 13 is a sectional view through the tank and centrally through aflushing unit mounted in the tank illustrating another embodiment of theinvention; and

FIG. 14 is a sectional view of another means of connecting the siphon tothe outlet of the tank.

DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT Referring to the drawingsillustrating a preferred embodiment of the invention and moreparticularly FIGS. 1, 2 and 3, a flush tank 1 of the usual type is shownhaving a bottom 2, sides 3 and a cover 4 for containing w r for u hi gpngg es-flhe un n the. flu hvtarik inlet valve which is the only portionof the unit exposed I to the usual tap water pressure. The water in theremainder of the unit is at the low tank water pressure. Thus the insert13 permits the entire unit to be molded of thin plastic material.

A float chamber 6 preferably is integrally mounted on the offset side ofthe inlet pipe and houses a float 9 which is preferably cylindrical inform with its upper rim above the water level. The clearance of float 9in float chamber 6 is kept to a minimum that is compatible tomanufacturing techniques, since the float acts as a pump when flushingis initiated. The float chamber also acts as a guide for the floatv Thefloat may be of any suitable hollow or light material and is shown inits upper position which indicates that the tank is filled to its upperlevel. The valve 11 has a stem illc which extends upwardly through theopening lla in the upper end of the insert 13 through the bottom of thefloat chamber and through tube 18 and is anchored in the upper end ofthe float as shown at 20. A disc 32 is secured to the stern and adaptedto seat on the upper end of the tube 18 which is secured at its lowerend in a cylindrical holder 19 integral with the bottom of the floatchamber.

A siphon tube 7 is integrally connected to the float chamber and to theinlet pipe 5 to form an integral structure with them. The siphoncomprises an outlet leg 7a having an attachment 14 secured to it andadapted to be mounted in the outlet in the bottom of the flush tank. Theupper portion of the siphon is curved into the shape of an inverted Uwith a leg 7b extending downwardly with its lower end open and locatedat the lowest level of water desired in the flushing tank at the end ofthe flushing operation.

The inlet pipe 5 continues above the valve 11 through conduit 5d whichextends upwardly along the outer side of the bottom of the float chamber6 and integral with it. The inlet conduit then continues verticallyintermediate the side of the float chamber and the side of the leg 7b ofthe siphon and integral with both the float chamber and the siphon. Theupper end 5e of the inlet conduit is also integral with both the floatchamber 6 and the siphon leg 7b. The water from the inlet valve illflows through the conduits 5d and 5e up over a dam 22 and is directeddownwardly onto the inner side of the inverted U at 23. The dam isspaced slightly to the left of the vertical center line of the siphon sothat the water flowing over the dam will for the most part travel downthe leg 7b when the tank is being filled to the proper level. A smallpart of the water being delivered flows over the opposite side of thesiphon down through the leg 7a into the toilet bowl. This fills thetoilet bowl to the proper level, and any excess water passes down intothe sewer. This assures a proper level of water in the closet bowl aftereach flushing.

In connection with flushing the tank a .l-shaped conduit Ml is providedwith an open end 100 directly under the inlet 7c to the leg 7b of thesiphon. The conduit forming the longer leg of the J-part it connectswith the bottom of the float chamber by a pair of conduits or passages26 (see H65. 3 and 6) and 27 which straddle the conduit 5d and connectwith the bottom of the float chamber 6.

In operation, with the tank full as indicated in the drawing and withthe float in its upper position as shown, the trip handle Ma at the sideof the tank is turned to force the float downwardly toward its lowerposition as shown in dotted lines. The downward move ment of the floatexpels from the float chamber the water which is in the bottom of thefloat chamber and which as indicated fills it to about half its height.This water from the bottom of the float chamber is forced through theconduits 26 and 27, which straddles the conduit 5d, and delivers waterinto the J-shaped conduit l0 and gushes it into the open end of thesiphon to start the siphon action.

Simultaneously the forcing of the float down opens the inlet valve 11admitting tap water under pressure into the conduit 5d and up throughthe upwardly extending portion 5e of the conduit over the dam 22 to joinwith the water being forced up the leg 7b to add to the volume of waterpassing over and down the leg of the siphon to start the siphon action.Once started the action continues until the water in the tank is belowthe level of the lower end of the leg 7b of the siphon. At this pointair entering the lower end of the leg 7b of the siphon breaks the flowof water and the flushing stops.

However the float is in its low position at the end of the flushingoperation and the inlet valve 11 is in its low position. With the valve11 open water flows from the supply system into the upwardly extendingportions 5d and 56 of the inlet pipe over the dam 22 and into the upperportion of the siphon. As indicated previously the major part of thewater flows down through the leg 7b to fill the tank, and a very minorpart flows down the leg 7a to fill the toilet to the proper level.

lt will be noted that the dam 22 in the upper part of the siphon 7 bewell above the upper level of the water in the tank. This prevents anyreverse flow of water from the tank to the water supply system if thewater supply system should fail for any reason.

The lower end of the inlet pipe 5 has, as indicated previously, aninsert 13 which may be friction-fitted into the pipe. The annular rib 5fat the upper end of the insert 13 on the inside of the inlet pipe 5limits the distance the insert 13 extends into the pipe inlet. Ashoulder 13b forms a seat for a rigid member 25 with a small openingaligned with a similar opening in a resilient rubber member 24.

The rubber member 24 may be purchased from Taco Inc., 1 Cranston Street,Providence, R.l. and is for the purpose of maintaining a nearly constantpressure below the inlet valve 11 which is slightly less than thepressure of the tap water supply. The pressure from the water supplyentering the inlet pipe may raise the valve 11 and the float upwardlysufficient to influence the water level at the completion of the fillingoperation without the pressure reducing member 24. This is because thepressure area of the bottom of the inlet valve is greater than the areaof the upper end since the valve stem reduces the pressure area of thetop of the valve. This is accomplished by the water pressure on thelower end of the member 24 compressing the member to constrict thecentral opening 24a through it and thereby reduce the pressure in theinlet pipe above the member 25 and below the valve 11.

The water pressure on the bottom of the valve 11, after it is seated inclosed position, is sufficient to support the float in its upperposition if the tank should break or form a leak which would permit thewater to drain out of it. In such an emergency the loss of water capableof doing damages would be limited to the amount in the tank and wouldnot result in a continuous flow from the inlet pipe which could causeextensive water damage if the occupants were asleep or away.

The disc or supporting member 12 on the upper end of the valve stem 1 1climits the lower movement of the valve stem and the valve 1 1 by restingon the top of the cylindrical tube 18 and closing it. It also provides ameans of retaining the valve .11 with rod 11c during assembly.

The shapes of the various parts of the embodiment in a vertical planeare shown more particularly in FIG. 3 showing a perspective view ofone-half of the unit and horizontal sectional views are shown in FIGS.5, 6 and 7 through the flushing unit. In addition, the top view in FIG.4 gives further information as to the shape of the parts. The unit,except for the float and the inserts in the inlet pipe, is preferablymolded in two parts and the two parts have their edges welded or bondedtogether to form a unitary structure which will be leakproof and whichwill stand the water pressures to which they may be subjected with ampleleeway for excesspressures.

FIG. 5 is a section along the line 5-5 of FIG. 1 just above the outlet aof the .l-member 10. The section shows the top of the opening 10a of the.l-member 10 and a section across the inlet pipe 5 and across the length10b of the J-member which is integral with the inlet pipe 5.

FIG. 6 is a horizontal sectional view along the line 66 of FIG. 1 whichis taken slightly above the valve seat 11b in the inlet conduit 5 andshows the inlet pipe with the junction of the conduit 5d and also showspassages 26 and 27 from the bottom of the float chamber which straddleand conduit 5d which receives water from the inlet valve 11 and deliversthe water from the inlet valve to the vertical conduit 5e and to theupper end of the siphon.

These passages 26 and 27 may be formed in any suitable manner butpreferably slides are used in the mold cores forming the inside of thefloat chamber. These slides pass through the bottom of the chamber andform the core for the passages 26 and 27 opening into the upper end ofthe long leg 10b of the J-shaped part (see FIG. 3) so that water canflow freely from the lower part of the float chamber into the J-shapedconduit or member 10 for starting the siphon operation.

FIG. 7 is a sectional view along the line 7-7 of FIG. 1 which is takenat the lower end of the cylindrical part of the float chamber. Thisfigure shows the open upper ends of the passages 26 and 27 at the bottomof the float chamber. The cylindrical shape of the float chamber 6 isalso shown together with the supporting tube 18 and the valve stem 110.At the center of the figure the vertical portion of the conduit Se isshown which receives the water from the inlet valve and delivers it tothe top of the siphon. The section of the siphon leg 7b is also shownand the upper end of the opening 10a of the .l-member 10 is shown.

The top plan view shown in FIG. 4 shows the top and sides of the siphon7, the enlargement 22a at the top of siphon 7 for housing the dam 22,the top of the float chamber 6 and the passages 26 and 27 in the bottomof the chamber for delivering water to the J-member 10.

The flushing unit is mounted on the bottom of the tank 1. The lower endof the inlet pipe 5 passes through the opening 5b in the bottom 2 of thetank and a flange SC on the inlet pipe 5 limits the downward movement.Gaskets 32 and 34 extending about the inlet pipe on opposite sides ofthe tank 2 form a water-tight seal. A suitable nut 35 is threaded to theend of the inlet pipe to hold the flange 5c and the gaskets 32 and 34securely in position on the bottom of thetank thus supporting the leftside of the flushing unit in position.

The outlet opening 36 in the bottom of the tank is adapted to receive afitment 37 which in turn has an opening 38 for receiving the lower endof theleg 7a of the siphon 7. An annular rib 37a on the outside of theleg 7a limits the downward movement of the siphon leg. The siphon leg 7aand the fitment 37 may be bonded together if desired. The fitment 37 hasa flange 37b which rests on a gasket 39 intermediate the flange and thebottom 2 of the tank. A gasket 40.is mounted on the lower end of thefitment 37 and is compressed and held against the bottom of the tank bya nut 41 to-form a liquid-tight seal. The nuts 35 and.4l hold the inletpipe 5 and the siphon 7 in position, respectively, and permit the unitto be readily installed.

The means for forcing the float down to open the inlet valve 11 and toinitiate the siphon cycle is shown more particularly in FIGS. 1 and 2. Arod 44 is mounted for rotation in the opening 45 in the side 3 of thetank and has a trip handle 44a on one endfor rotating the rod 44 and anarm 44b preferably curved along its length for forcing the floatdownward when the trip handle 44is operated to rotate the rod 44.

The rod 44 is mounted in a bearing formed in the hollow cylindricalmember 46 to permit free rotation of the rod 44. The member 46 is heldinposition by a nut 49 on the inside of the tank and the enlarged knob46b is spaced from the outside of the tank .by a sleeve 46c. A gasket46d permits the application of sufficient friction to permit the bearingmember 4.6 from rotating freely and at the same time prevents its beingrotated by the operation of the trip handle 44a to start the flushingcycle. The friction is not sufficiently great to prevent the knob 46b onthe cylindrical member 46 from being rotated manually withoutsubstantial effort.

Means may be provided for varying the amount of water used in eachflushing operation. Referring to FIGS. 1 and 2, there is provided aconduit having one end connected at 81 on the leg 7b of the siphon andopening into the side of the leg so that air or water may pass from theouter end of the conduit 80 into the leg 7b of the siphon. The conduit80 may be a flexible tube so that it may be flexed upwardly or it mayhave a pivoted connected with the leg 7b to permit its free end to beraised and lowered.

The opposite end of the conduit 80 may be connected by a cord or wire 82to the bearing member 46 and coiled about it as shown. The member 46, asindi cated previously, may be rotated by the knob 46b and the rotationof it will wind or unwind the cord or wire 82 about the member 46 eitherto raise the outer end of the conduit 80 or to lower it, depending uponthe direction of rotation of bearing member 46. Thus, the height of theouter end of the conduit 80 may be changed as desired. The height of theouter end of the conduit 80 determines the amount of water left in thetank at the finish of a flushing operation. As soon as the water leveldrops below the outer end of the conduit 80 i in the tank, air will bedrawn into the leg 7b of the siphon 7 which will break the column ofwater and permit the siphon to draw air instead of water which willterminate the siphon operation.

Suitable stops may be provided for upper and lower limits of themovement of the tube 80 so that the flushing operation can be changedquickly from one position to the other to flush a predetermined amountof water for solids and substantially less water for liquids in order toconserve water. The cord or wire 82 may be operated independently of thetripping mechanism if desired. Likewise a lever and rod may besubstituted for the pulley cord.

In the operation of the preferred embodiment of the flushing unitstarting with the tank filled with water to a level which is slightlybelow the lower horizontal curve 7d of the siphon tube, the trip handle44a is turned to rotate the rod 44 which forces down the arm 44b insidethe tank to depress the float from the full line position shown in HO. 1to the dotted line position where the bottom of the float is at thebottom of the float chamber.

The movement of the float 9 downward forces the water in the bottom ofthe float chamber out through the passageways 26 and 27 leading from thebottom of the float chamber as shown more particularly in FlGS. 1, 3, 6and 7 into the long leg of J-shaped member 10 and through the outletopening 10a of the .l-shaped member into the inlet of the inlet leg 7bof the siphon. This forces water up one leg of the siphon and down theother to start the siphon action.

At the same time the movement of the float down wardly forces the valvestem 11c and the valve 1 l downwardly opening the inlet valve andpermitting water to flow under pressure from a city or town water systemthrough the inlet pipe 5, inlet valve 11 and the connecting conduits 5dand 5e to the upper apex of the siphon '7. At the upper end of theconduit 5e the water passes over a dam 22 and flows down into thesiphon. This inlet water joins with the water being forced into thesiphon from the float chamber to assure the starting of the siphon andthe starting of the flushing cycle.

When the water reaches the level of the open lower end of the siphon leg7b the siphon receives air instead of water which stops the siphonoperation in those cases where the tube 80 is at the level of the bottomof the leg 7b of the siphon and also in those cases where the siphonunit does not include the conduit 84) for regulating the amount of waterin each flushing operation.

Since the float is in its lower position and the inlet valve is open,water continues to flow through the inlet valve and into the top of thesiphon 7. The dam 22 is located at the left of the crest of the curvedapex on the inside of the siphon so that the major part of the waterwhich flows over the dam will go down the leg 7b to fill the tank and aminor portion of the water will flow down the leg 7a to fill the bowl ofthe toilet to the desired level.

While the siphon unit may be made in any desired manner, in thepreferred embodiment the unit is made of a thermoplastic material andmolded in two parts which are preferably substantially identical. Thetwo molded halves are then bonded, cemented or welded together at theirfree edges to form a closed water-tight unit.

Referring to one of the molded parts one of which is shown inperspective in FIG. 3 and to the other drawings of the preferredembodiment, it will be noted that half may be molded in the usual molds.The parts may also be cemented, bonded or welded together in the usualmanner, preferably the free edges of the halves are welded together andare formed as shown in FIG. 3a with a small continuous fin or rib 16protruding outward from the edge of one to facilitate the bondingoperation. The use of a tin or rib 16 provides a narrow thin portionwhich may be quickly melted and spread over the rest of the edge. Inthis way the welding can be performed in less time and at lowertemperatures of the hot plate or other heated member utilized formelting the surfaces of the edges with minimum change of dimensions. Thetwo parts may also be bonded together with a solvent or secured togetherwith glue or cement.

In the molding of the float chamber 6, it is desirable to form the twopassages 26 and 27 opening into the bottom of the float chamber whichpass on opposite sides of the inlet conduit 5d and extending down intothe .l-shaped member 10. One way to accomplish this is to provide aslidable mold part for the cores forming the respective halves of thefloat chamber. The slidable mold part may have a projection on its lowerend to project downwardly from the bottom of the mold core to form thepassageway 26 on one mold core and the passageway 27 on the other.Before the mold is opened to remove the half, the sliding member israised or moved parallel to the central axis of the core until the endof the projection is flush with or above the bottom end of the core sothat the molded plastic part may be removed without interference by theslidable projection which forms the passageways 26 or 27, as the casemay be, to the .l-shaped member 10.

The embodiment of the invention illustrated in FIGS. 8, 9 and 10utilizes a flush tank 1 with an inlet opening 50 in the bottom and anoutlet opening 36. An inlet pipe 84 is secured to a fitment 85 mountedin the inlet opening. The fitment 85 which has an enlarged upper end 85ais passed through an opening 86 in the bottom of the float chamber 87 tohold the float chamber in position. Suitable gaskets 88 and 89 seal theparts in position on the sides of the bottom 2 of the tank adjacent tothe inlet, and the gaskets are compressed and the fitment 85 held inposition by a nut 90 threaded on the end of the fitment 85. Theresilient rubber member 24 described in connection with the preferredembodiment of the invention seats against a shoulder 85b on the insideof the fitment 85 to reduce the pressure below the inlet valve 96 in thesame manner as described above in connection with the preferredembodiment.

The inlet pipe 84 extends above the upper level of the water in thetank. A float 88 made of any suitable light material or with a hollowinterior as shown is mounted in the float chamber. The upper end of thefloat 88 has an opening 89 (see FIG. 10) with a part extending acrossthe opening. The part 95 has a central opening 900 for receiving afitment 91 for holding the upper end of the valve stem 92. The enlargedhead of the fitment 91 may be forced through the opening 900 before thevalve stem is assembled with it. Likewise, the fitment may be forcedthrough the sealing disc 95 to snap the disc on the reduced portion ofthe fitment. The valve stem is then forced into an opening in thefitment and enlarges the fitment so that the fitment is rigidly held inposition and the parts cannot be disassembled until the valve stem isremoved.

The inlet valve 96 is mounted on the lower end of the valve stem 92 andseats against the valve seat 97 when the float is in its upper position.A cross member 98 having apertures 98a is provided a short distanceabove the valve seat in the inlet pipe. A conduit 99 connects with thespace intermediate the valve seat and the cross member 98 which has thesmall apertures 98a permitting water to flow through it. The conduit 99goes down toward the bottom of the float chamber and is bent upwardlyalong the side of the leg 101a of a siphon 101. The conduit 99terminates as shown shortly before it reaches the apex of the siphon.

The part 100 forming the bottom of the float chamber has a conduit 102which has an opening 104 directly under the open end of the leg 101a ofthe siphon. The bottom conduit 102 has a top opening 105 which fits andsupports the body of the float chamber 187. A suitable trip handle 106mounted on the end of a rod 107 rotatably secured in an aperture 104 inthe side of the tank, presses the float down by means of the arm 103a onthe rod 107.

The other leg 10lb of the siphon 101 has its lower end securely fittedin a fitment 109 having a flange 109a larger than the opening 36 in thebottom of the tank. A gasket 110 fits under the flange and over thecorner of the outlet opening 36. A second gasket 11] fits on theunderside of the bottom 2 of the tank, and the parts are secured inposition, and the fitment and siphon are held securely in position by anut 112 threaded to the lower end of the fitment.

In operation the trip handle 106 rotates the rod 107 to tilt the arm103a downwardly to force the float 88 downwardly. The disc 95 serves asa check valve to prevent the air from escaping from the upper part ofthe float when the float is forced downwardly. The downward movement ofthe float 88 and the trapped air in the float force the water in thefloat chamber 87 downwardly and out of the bottom of the chamber throughthe outlet 104 upwardly through the lower end of the leg 101a. The rushof water into the siphon leg 101a forces the water over the crest at thetop of the siphon and starts the siphon.

In addition, and at the same time, the downward movement of the floatopens the inlet valve 96 and part of the inlet water is forced into theconduit 99 and adds to the volume of water that is being supplied fromthe float chamber to the siphon. The rest of the inlet water flows outthe upper end of the inlet 84 into the float chamber. When the flushingis completed the inlet valve 96 and the float 88 are still down andwater continues to flow from the pressure source to fill the tank. Atthe same time water will continue to flow through the conduit 99 andfrom the upper end of it into the outlet leg 10lb of the siphon forfilling the bowl of the toilet to the properlevel.

The inlet pipe 84 extends upwardly above the level of the water in thetank when the tank is full. In this way water cannot flow back into theinlet pipe. If thewater supply should fail and if the inlet valve 96opens and a partial vacuum tends to form in the inlet pipe 84 the disc95 will be in its lower position and vent the space in the upper part ofthe float to atmosphere, thus preventing the formation of a vacuum inthe inlet pipe 84. If the float 88 should be in its lower position thedisc 95 will close the upper end of the inlet pipe to prevent reverseflow of water in the event the water pressure fails. Thus, the sealingdisc 95 prevents any partial vacuum for forming within the float whenthe float is in its upper position and seals the opening 89 when thefloat is forced downwardly to trap the air and expel the water from thefloat chamber and also closes the upper end of the inlet pipe 84 whenthe float is in its lower position until the pressure of the inlet waterin the inlet pipe 84 raises the disc 95 and the float.

The embodiment illustrated in FIGS. 11 and 12 has the usual inletopening and outlet opening 116 in the bottom 2 of the tank 1; An inletpipe 117 has its lower end formed with a flange 118 and with thethreaded end below the flange. The flange 1 18 is seated in the opening115 in the bottom 2 of the tank. A suitable gasket 121 on the upper sideof the bottom 2 and another 123 on the lower side of the bottom 2 of thetank are held in position by a nut 122 threaded to the bottom of theinlet pipe 117 which form a water-tight connection for the inlet pipewith the opening 115 in the bottom of the tank. The upper end of theinlet pipe 117 extends upwardly above the level of the water in the tank1 and into the inside of the float 127.

The float chamber 119 comprises a cylindrical upper portion and a bottompart which has a peripheral flange 120a. A member 124 fits in theperipheral flange of the bottom part 120a and has an outlet opening 125leading to the entrance to the siphon 126 having legs 126a and 1261:.The cylindrical bottom of the float chamber 119 fits into and rests uponthe flange 124a about the upper part of the member 124.

A float 127 is formed with an annular hollow space 128 to give it properbuoyancy and a center flanged cover 129 is forced into the upper portionof the hollow central portion of the float 127. A valve stem 131 extendsthrough the opening and is bent over at its upper end at 132 withsufficient space between the bent end 132 and the resilient member 134to permit the opening 130 to be opened and closed. Aresilient member 134is mounted on the upper end of the valve stem 131 to serve as a checkvalve to close the opening 130 when the float is forced downwardly totrap the air in the float and to expel the water from the float chamber.

The lower end of the valve stem has an inlet valve 135 adapted to seaton the inside of the restricted upper end 135a of the inlet pipe 117. Acylindrical member 137 encloses the upper end of the inlet pipe. Thelower portion of the cylindrical hood 137 is open and extends down nearthe bottom of the float chamber 119. The upper end of the cylindricalhood 137 rests upon the top of the inlet pipe when the inlet valve 135is closed as shown in FIG. 11. The inlet pipe has a resilient sealingmember 140 which is fitted in the opening of the upper end of thecylindrical member 137.

A conduit 14] has its lower end passing between the outside of the inletpipe 117 and the inside of the enclosing cylindrical hood 137. Theconduit 141 passes through the side of the float chamber into the openend of the leg 126a of the siphon and follows the inner side of the legand ends after passing over the crest 1260 of the siphon 126.

FIG. 12 shows the parts of the float and float chamber and the enclosinghood when the inlet valve is about to close as the tank becomes almostfilled and shortly before the inlet valve closes. The inlet valve isstill open and the pressure of the inflowing water keeps the cylindricalmember 137 raised above the inlet pipe. Water is flowing between theinside of the cylindrical hood 137 and the outside of the inlet pipe117. The resilient member 134 is spaced from the opening 130 in FIG. 12due to the unbalanced upward water pressure on the bottom of the valvemember 135 and the buoyancy of the float 127 raising the stem 131 andvalve 135.

The siphon 126 has its outlet leg 1126b secured in a fitment 145. Thefitment 145 fits into the outlet opening 116 in the bottom of the tankand has a flange 146. A gasket 147 seals the upper side of the bottom ofthe tank with the flange 146 of the fitment and a second gasket 148seals the lower side of the bottom of the tank through theintermediation of a nut 149 which is threaded onto the lower end of thefitment to secure the parts tightly in place.

In the operation of the embodiment shown in FIGS. 1 l and 12, waterunder pressure is delivered to the inlet pipe 117 whose upper end isabove the level of the water in the tank. When the float is pressed downby the operation of the handle as described in previous embodiments,water is forced from the float chamber down through the pottom part ofthe float chamber and through the opening 124 beneath the opening of thesiphon leg 126a. The water forced from the float chamber forces thecolumn of water in the leg 126a up over the crest and down the oppositeleg 126!) to start the siphon. At the same time the inlet valve 135 isopened and water is forced down between the outside of the inlet pipe117 and the inside of the enclosure 137 into the bottom of float chamberand through opening 125, thus adding to the water supplied by thedownward movement of the float for starting the siphon.

The flow of water is under sufficient pressure to force water throughthe conduit 141 whose lower end is between the outside of the inlet pipeand the inside of the cylindrical hood 137. The force of the waterentering the conduit 141 is sufficient to discharge water at the otherend of the conduit 141 into the leg 126b of the siphon. This addsfurther to the water being flushed in from the float chamber and alsoserves to fill the bowl of the toilet to the proper level after theflushing cycle is completed and the tank is being filled to its properlevel.

ln the embodiment of the invention shown in FIG. 13, the inlet opening57 in the flush tank 1 may be the same as the one in the previousembodiments. An inlet pipe fitment 50 has a flange 51 resting on thebottom 2 of tank 1 with a threaded portion below the flange passingthrough the bottom opening with a gasket 52 forming a seal between theflange 51 and the bottom 2 of the tank to prevent leakage between theflange and the bottom of the tank.

A valve seat 53 for the movable valve member 54 is formed in the fitment50. A conduit 55 passes laterally through the upper part of the fitmentwith one end 55a connecting directly with the tank and the other end 55bconnecting with an elbow-shaped pipe 56 having a ve rtical portion openat its upper end beneath the open end of one leg 28 of the siphon 30.The upper end of the fitment 50 has a central opening 59 for the valvestem 54a connected to the bottom of a float 60.

The float 60 is preferably a hollow cylinder partly filled with water orany other suitable weighting substance to obtain the desired buoyancy.The float may be made of any suitable material such as sheet metal or aplastic.

A cylindrical float chamber 61 open at its upper end slidably fits aboutthe float. The open lower end of the float chamber is force-fitted overthe reduced cylindrical portion 64 at the upper outer periphery of thefitment 50.

When the float is forced down for the flushing operation for example bymeans similar to FIG. 2, the valve member 54 opens and delivers water totank 1 through one end 55a of conduit 55 and through the other end tothe open end of the leg 28 of the siphon 30. Simultaneously the downwardmovement of the float forces water from the lower part of the floatchamber 61 through opening 66 and pipe 56 into leg 28 of siphon 30. Thetwo sources of water give a thrust to the water in leg 28 of the siphonwhich is ample to force enough water through the upper part of thesiphon to produce a column sufficiently far down the leg 28a to startthe siphon and empty the tank. The siphon will start as soon as thecolumn of water in the leg 28a is below the level of the water in thetank and will continue to flow until the water in the tank is at itslower level.

The lower end of the leg 28a of the siphon fits into the upper end of afitment 67 mounted in an outlet opening 42 in the bottom of the tank.The fitment has a flange 67a seating on a gasket 68 for forming awatertight joint. A nut 69 is threaded or otherwise secured to the lowerend of the fitment 67 to hold the fitment securely in place forsupporting the siphon.

In H6. 14 another outlet fitment is shown in which the leg 28a of thesiphon 30 shown in FIG. 13 is forced into a plastic fitment 70 until itseats on the shoulder 71. The outer lower part of the fitment is taperedinwardly and downwardly and provided with alternate grooves and ridgesbelow the shoulder 72.

A second fitment 74 has a flange or shoulder 75 which seats upon agasket 76 to securely seal the second fitment 74 in the opening 42. Thelower end of the first fitment 70 is forced into the upper end of thesecond fitment 74. The shoulder 72 of the fitment 70 seats on the rim 78of the second fitment 74 and the annular grooves and ridges 79 areforce-fitted into place to secure and seal the fitments together and tosecurely hold the siphon leg 28a and fix the siphon in position.

It will be seen that the present invention provides an inexpensiveflushing unit for flush tanks which may be readily installed in existingtanks as a substitute for existing units which are causing difficulty ormay be sold for new installations. The float and inlet valve aredirectly connected as a unit to move vertically together for opening andclosing the inlet valve. This assures a long life and satisfactoryoperation of the float and inlet valve. A cooperating siphon eliminatesthe usual outlet valve which is the cause of most of the trouble influshing systems. The unit is simple in construction and may be moldedfrom an inexpensive thermoplastic material. Only two molded parts arerequired for the combined single unit inlet pipe, float chamber andsiphon. The tripping of the trip handle forces water from the floatchamber to start the flushing operation. Water from the inlet valvesupplements the amount of water furnished from the float chamber.

Provisions are made for preventing a reverse flow from the tank into theinlet pipe during failure of the water supply and for filling the toiletbowl to the desired level at the end of the flushing operation. Provision is also made for conserving water by flushing a predeterminedquantity of water for solids and considerably less water for liquids andby providing means for regulating the amount of water to be flushed bythe flushing unit.

As various changes may be made in the form, construction and arrangementof the parts herein without departing from the spirit and scope of theinvention and without sacrificing any of its advantages, it is to beunderstood that all matter herein is to be interpreted as illustrativeand not in a limiting sense.

Having thus described my invention, I claim:

1. In a flushing device of the class described by the combination of areservoir for a supply of water, an inlet conduit mounted in saidreservoir for supplying water to said reservoir, an inlet valvecontrolling the flow of water from said conduit in the said reservoirand an enclosure mounted over a portion of said conduit and having anopen end below the normal level of the water in the reservoir, saidenclosure comprising an upwardly extending tube overlying andsurrounding said inlet, a valve stop extending across the tube inupwardly spaced relation to said inlet, said valve movable within saidtube between said inlet and said valve stop, a valve stem extendingupwardly from said valve through said valve stop, means operativelyconnected to said valve stem to control the movement of said valve stemin said tube, a siphon having inlet and outlet legs, the outlet legcommunicating with the exterior of said reservoir for flushing waterfrom said reservoir and means connecting said enclosure and said siphonfor supplying water from said enclosure to said siphon to start saidsiphon.

2. In a flushing device as claimed in claim 1 in which said inletconduit extends upwardly in the reservoir and said enclosure is mountedto move upwardly and downwardly along said conduit.

3. In a flushing device as claimed in claim 1 in which means is providedfor closing the inlet conduit in re sponse to the formation of a partialvacuum in said inlet conduit and thereby preventing a reverse flow ofwater from being drawn through the opening in the enclosure into saidconduit.

4. In a flushing device as claimed in claim 1 in which a valve stem forsaid inlet valve extends through the upper part of said enclosure.

5. In a flushing device as claimed in claim 4 in which a float isconnected to said valve stem for controlling the operation of the inletvalve.

6. In a flushing device as claimed in claim 5 in which said float has ahollow central portion extending over a portion of said enclosure.

7. In a flushing device as claimed in claim 6 in which said float has ahollow central portion extending over a portion of said inlet valve anda portion of said inlet conduit.

1. In a flushing device of the class dEscribed by the combination of areservoir for a supply of water, an inlet conduit mounted in saidreservoir for supplying water to said reservoir, an inlet valvecontrolling the flow of water from said conduit in the said reservoirand an enclosure mounted over a portion of said conduit and having anopen end below the normal level of the water in the reservoir, saidenclosure comprising an upwardly extending tube overlying andsurrounding said inlet, a valve stop extending across the tube inupwardly spaced relation to said inlet, said valve movable within saidtube between said inlet and said valve stop, a valve stem extendingupwardly from said valve through said valve stop, means operativelyconnected to said valve stem to control the movement of said valve stemin said tube, a siphon having inlet and outlet legs, the outlet legcommunicating with the exterior of said reservoir for flushing waterfrom said reservoir and means connecting said enclosure and said siphonfor supplying water from said enclosure to said siphon to start saidsiphon.
 2. In a flushing device as claimed in claim 1 in which saidinlet conduit extends upwardly in the reservoir and said enclosure ismounted to move upwardly and downwardly along said conduit.
 3. In aflushing device as claimed in claim 1 in which means is provided forclosing the inlet conduit in response to the formation of a partialvacuum in said inlet conduit and thereby preventing a reverse flow ofwater from being drawn through the opening in the enclosure into saidconduit.
 4. In a flushing device as claimed in claim 1 in which a valvestem for said inlet valve extends through the upper part of saidenclosure.
 5. In a flushing device as claimed in claim 4 in which afloat is connected to said valve stem for controlling the operation ofthe inlet valve.
 6. In a flushing device as claimed in claim 5 in whichsaid float has a hollow central portion extending over a portion of saidenclosure.
 7. In a flushing device as claimed in claim 6 in which saidfloat has a hollow central portion extending over a portion of saidinlet valve and a portion of said inlet conduit.